Adhesive and thermal grease are the standard alternatives for attaching enabled heat sinks to a user target system while validating a processor with An LAI tool. However, these methods are intrusive to the target system. Further, it does not allow the user to implement the enabled heat sink in alternative orientations in the validation chassis or validation platforms.
Alternatively, clips and retention modules are also used to secure an enabled heat sink to the processor. However, it requires the user to develop alternative clips and retention mechanisms customized to each board.
Often, a user has a requirement to validate a processor in alternative orientations. With such a requirement, thermal grease or adhesives make this unduly burdensome. In such a case, a user is forced to abandon the enabled heat sinking solution and develop alternative cooling methods to ensure reliable validation of the processor in that specific system. Developing alternative cooling methods is intrusive, expensive and often an unreliable means to ensure proper cooling of a processor.
The invention allows a user to attach an enabled heat sink to an enabled retention module while using an interposing probe plugged into an electronic signal analyzer such as a logic analyzer or an oscilloscope. The invention also allows a user to attach an enabled heat sink to an enabled retention module while integrating various other interposing tools such as run control or thermal control. Further, the invention allows a user to attach an enabled heat sink using an enabled retention module at alternative orientations in a platform chassis without requiring adhesives, or alternative cooling solutions.
The present invention provides a retention module adapter for attaching enabled heat sinks to the user""s target system while validating a processor with an LAI tool. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises an adapter and a clip. A user attaches an adapter to each of the retention modules on a target system. Once a processor is loaded into the LAI tool and a heat sink solution is loaded onto the processor between the adapters. The heat sink clips are then clipped onto the adapters. The clips retain the heat sink to the adapters while also retaining the heat sink to the motherboard retention modules. The clips alto secure the LAI tool to the motherboard.